Aeq - 18-11-2025 at 01:36
Hey everyone been lurking for years on off as well as just a general interest in science as a whole since I was a child, currently in Australia,
Victoria and looking to learn to study eventually through uni but with collected resources at home, practice, study and learning.
Currently I've done a small amount of things over the years from anodizing titanium, general plant extract via a heat press, ethanol washes for
extraction as well with plants that I've grown and been able to preserve for longer periods so have some basic knowledge around fundamentals in some
aspects but recently having a try at distillations and re-crystallization currently with calcium nitrate that has been filtered and in solution slowly
waiting for crystals to form, as well with potassium nitrate in solution all obtained from the hardware/hydroponic stores before currently doing
re-crystallization, just seeing the lattice and facets of the variety is something to admire sometimes up close especially now I've grown some seeds
to try and grow bigger crystals, slowly I will work this up to a nitrate extraction to form some weak nitric acic once I've acquired more apparatus in
due time but back to studying and reading I must so I won't be poking around and asking too many questions just a lot of lurking for the time being
Feel free to ask any questions or direct me to any information if you'd like I'm open to new crystal growing that isn't just nitrates it's just
easiest to get my hands on and does have use beyond
[Edited on 18-11-2025 by Aeq]
woelen - 18-11-2025 at 02:59
Welcome to sciencemadness. I hope to see some interesting contributions from you. Even if you are a beginner, or a person with limited resources,
experimental results are always welcome. If you show nice crystals or find methods of purifying raw cheap chemicals from a hardware store or a
hydroponics shop, then that kind of contribution also is welcome.
If you want to experiment with nice crystals, then try working with copper sulfate, or alum. if you take plain alum, with a little chrome alum added
to that, then you can make beautiful purple crystals. Pure chrome alum is very dark, but a mix with just a percent or so of chrome alum added to it is
beautiful.
This web page may be interesting for you as well: https://woelen.homescience.net/science/chem/misc/homelab.htm...
It contains information about how getting started with simple glassware and a basic set of chemicals.
Radiums Lab - 18-11-2025 at 03:38
@Aeq welcome to Sciencemadness. Don't forget to check the SM wiki too.
Aeq - 18-11-2025 at 04:27
Thankyou both I should have mentioned I also am into making music so have the bases of harmonic fundamentals as with sine/square/triangle waves in
some contexts beyond just music with light soldering skills adjoined to the more analog-ish side so a lot more practical and hands on but I do dabble
in some theory mostly from playing online video games so pretty well rounded in what I do and can accomplish, currently applied for a course with
agriculture chemical safety for certification so I can have some accreditation there when and if I ever buy any reagents that will require an EUD here
One day maybe some crystal harmonization 
[Edited on 18-11-2025 by Aeq]
bnull - 18-11-2025 at 05:32
Welcome to the forum.
I suggest you take a look at the books on preparative and experimental inorganic chemistry by Brauer, Walton, Schlessinger, Fernelius & Henderson,
Biltz & Biltz, Palmer, and Jander & Blasius (if you know German).
There is a Mir book on crystallization, From Crystal to Solution by Krestov and Kobenin. Internet Archive has a copy.
KCl is another good salt to make crystals. Copper sulfate is more forgiving about the water you use. I've grown a rather large (by microscale
standards) crystal of the latter by accident from a sludge of hydrolyzed and partially oxidized sucrose.
Aeq - 18-11-2025 at 06:04
I have seen KCl come up for when reading quite often, looking at sources with about .50-.40 contamination it might be a good practice for safe
fractional distillation since it's usually only NaCl which all I'm in the market for is a heating mantle/stirrer to get started for a 1L RBF
Also cloudflare is currently having issues so can't access much publications atm
Thankfully it's on here 